I enjoyed doing this last year and want to keep doing my crazy rankings. At first I thought it might be a little early to do this, but then I realized it is August and games will be starting soon. We are less than a month away from the Penn State season opener! So yeah, it is time to do some rankings!
- Alabama (13-2 last season)–Yeah, they lost to Georgia in the title game, but they have a Heisman quarterback returning and ya know, they are Alabama, they just reload. They had one of the best recruiting classes.
- Georgia (14-1)–The champs lost like 25 guys in the first round of the draft, so I feel like it will be tough to repeat. However, they also have one of the best recruiting classes, as well as plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. Stetson Bennett will build on that playoff success, but is he good enough to rival Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud?
- Ohio State (11-2)–The Buckeyes will be right in the thick of things as per usual. Something tells me the defense will be much better than it was last year, and the offense will be firing on all cylinders.
- Notre Dame (11-2)–I hate Notre Dame. And I hate admitting when they are good. They have a strong defense and a huge first game against Ohio State. I feel like quarterback is always an issue in South Bend. I bet it will be again.
- Michigan (12-2)–Losing Hutchinson & Ojabo hurts the defense big time, but I think they have enough talent to still be one of the best. The offense will probably be better especially with more experience from both quarterbacks.
- Texas A&M (8-4)–The Aggies had the top recruiting class in the country, which is what helps propel them so high in the rankings. Also, last year they were a good time, they just had some troubles once their quarterback was injured.
- Utah (10-4)–They have some strong pieces returning and should be the best team in the Pac-12. Who the hell knows where the Utes will end up when all of this conference realignment, but it would be cool for them to win a second conference title.
- Clemson (10-3)–I keep seeing other rankings putting them up much higher. I think they will be better than last year and who knows how good the rest of the ACC will be, so it may not be hard to rack up a bunch of wins.
- USC (4-8)–I hate ranking them this high, but the new coach and his poaching of Williams and Addison should make for a potent offense. I would be more than happy watching them lose a bunch.
- Oregon (10-4)–Bo Nix leading the Ducks…wild world. Oregon has plenty of players returning, but it all depends on the level Nix plays.
- Baylor (12-2)–Baylor was one of those teams that I never really put much stock in, but then they just kept winning each week. They have a strong defense and should be the best in the Big XII.
- Oklahoma (11-2)–Last year they started the season with Spencer Rattler, who was supposed to be a Heisman candidate, but he struggled and they turned to Caleb Williams who also looked like a top tier QB at times. And then chaos happened. Rattler transferred to South Carolina and then Williams bolted with Riley to USC. The Sooners still have a good team and a strong recruiting class, so they will still be good.
- Michigan State (11-2)–The Spartans were a surprise last year and it will be interesting to see if that was for real or if it was all Kenneth Walker III. Payton Thorne will need to step up and be a top tier QB if MSU is going to stay with Ohio State & Michigan this year.
- Cincinnati (13-1)–They lost some key pieces, but they should be the best team in the AAC again. Also, if they can beat Arkansas in week one, another undefeated season will be within reach. This is the test to see if Luke Fickell is a good coach or a great one.
- NC State (9-3)–They have a strong returning quarterback along with a ton of other returning pieces. I believe they have the most returning starters in the ACC. Sometimes it is hard to ignore consistency.
- Oklahoma State (12-2)–This team lost a ton of pieces, especially on defense, but I think things will even out a little with a better offensive unit.
- Pitt (11-3)–I am not sure the Panthers can repeat last year with Slovis at quarterback. I can see them either winning the Coastal division or ending up with like four losses.
- Wake Forest (11-3)–They have a big time offense and should put up some big numbers. Defense is still an issue and it could cost them.
- Wisconsin (9-4)–The Badgers always seem to just reload and make a run at the Big Ten West. Mertz should be a little better than he was last year, but they have some tough games on the road this year (OSU, MSU, and Iowa)–that could easily be three losses.
- Penn State (7-6)–They have to be better than last year. There were injuries last year and losing Clifford derailed their season (we can debate if that was bad coaching, poor talent, whatever). They have plenty of weapons and this should be a team that wins more than seven games. They had one of the best recruiting classes in the country yet again, so now it is time to turn that talent into a wins.
- Tennessee (7-6)–I feel like we are told every year that Tennessee is back and going to challenge for the SEC East crown.
- Kentucky (10-3)–Judging by the draft experts, Will Levis could be the top quarterback taken in the draft. If he has a great year, I think the Wildcats end up as the #2 team in the East.
- Miami (7-5)–New coach! The Hurricanes are back!!! Yeah, we hear this every year as well. I will need a few games before I take them seriously.
- Arkansas (9-4)–I had them ranked fairly high at different points last season. They have a tough non-conference schedule with BYU and Cincinnati. Winning both of those would raise their stock significantly.
- BYU (10-3)–Speaking of the Cougars…they have another good team, but a brutal schedule. Baylor, Oregon, Notre Dame, Arkansas, and Stanford. Also, they have Boise State and Liberty. They could be looking at four losses out of those seven games.
Honorable Mention
Houston (12-2)–They should rack up a bunch of wins in the AAC, especially since they do not face Cincinnati or UCF this year.
LSU (6-7)–Brian Kelly will turn things around down there, but it will take more than a year.
Ole Miss (11-3)–I think they end the year ranked in the Top 25, but at the moment they have plenty of question marks.
Texas (5-7)–The fifth best recruiting class should help turn things around for the Longhorns.
Coastal Carolina (11-2)–Yeah, did you think I would forget about a Sun Belt team?
Watchlist
Florida (6-7)
Florida State (5-7)
South Carolina (7-6)
Mizzou (6-7)
UNC (6-7)
